Special education and Section 504 advocates for McKinney ISD families in McKinney.
4 based in Texas · 3 virtual advocates who work with Texas schools
An IEP advocate goes to school meetings with you and argues for services your child is not getting.
Most of the work happens before anyone sits down in a McKinney conference room.
Advocates also coach. Some McKinney parents hire one for two hours of prep and go into the meeting alone.
Records live with McKinney ISD, not with the front office of one building, and a request addressed to the district gets a faster answer than one that is not.
No advocate in this directory lists McKinney as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of Texas, and each card names the city.
Based in Austin, TX
Special Education Advocate
Hi, My name is David Gonzales. Living in Austin, TX, but originally from Los Angeles, CA. I carry a masters degree in special education and currently practice as a sped teacher.
Based in Midland, TX
Special Education Advocate
Kate Keenan is a special education advocate serving families in Midland, TX.
Based in San Antonio, TX
FamilyADDventures.com
Nicole Santiago is a learning specialist and an advocate (IEP coach). She is a member of COPAA.org and ensures special education students receive the most appropriate educational services possible.
Based in Katy, TX
Special Education Advocate
Besides being a parent of a neurodivergent son, I have been a special education teacher, diagnostician, and advocate for the past 30 years. I am a true hands-on, walk in your shoes type of advocate.
These advocates are not based in Texas. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Inverness, IL · works with Texas schools
Special Education Advocate
I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University and a Master’s of Education from DePaul University, with a dual certification in elementary and…
Virtual · based in Lamar, CO · works with Texas schools
Special Education Advocate
I’ve been a science teacher, a Director of Financial Aid, and a Dean of Students at a rural community college — always at the table with students and families navigating systems not built for them.
Virtual · based in Hialeah, FL · works with Texas schools
Advocate
Hello! I look forward to helping families and their students get the crucial support they need. I have varied experience working with families and educators at the state and local levels.
McKinney ISD takes most McKinney addresses, but not all of them. Check yours before you send a letter, because a request that lands in the wrong district office does not start the evaluation clock at all.
Buildings do not fund services and districts do. Ask which office is deciding before you spend a meeting arguing with the wrong one.
Confirm your child's district by address. McKinney addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
A written request for an evaluation starts a second clock in Texas, and the district has to answer inside 15 school days.
Ask the McKinney team for the evaluation report before the meeting, not at it, because nobody reads a long report accurately while the rest of the team waits.
Texas gives a school district 45 school days to finish an initial special education evaluation. A written request for an evaluation has to be answered inside 15 school days. Missed deadlines are handled by the Texas Education Agency, Office of Special Populations and Student Supports, which takes written state complaints from parents.
Texas does not license or certify special education advocates. Anyone in McKinney can print a card with the word advocate on it.
McKinney ISD does not approve or bar advocates. Federal rules let a parent bring anyone with knowledge of the child to the meeting.
Hiring an advocate does not pause a deadline or undo a meeting that already happened. The work starts from wherever the McKinney file sits today.
What worked for a family in Amarillo may not fit yours. Ask the advocate what is different about your file before you copy anyone.
Video is normal now. 21 of the advocates listed for McKinney work with families by phone or video instead of driving to the school.
Read a profile for what the advocate actually did, not for what the profile claims. Case detail is the tell.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in McKinney, Texas, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What is the hourly rate for a parent advocate?
Rates run $75 to $250 per hour. What moves the number is experience, the type of case, and whether anyone has to drive to the meeting. Profiles here show the rate when the advocate publishes one.
Can I hire a virtual advocate if we live in McKinney?
Yes, with one condition. The school has to agree to the meeting format, so put the request in writing before the date is set.
Does McKinney ISD cover every McKinney address?
McKinney ISD runs the IEP meetings for most McKinney students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
What can I do if I cannot afford an advocate?
No public program assigns you a private advocate. The links under official resources on this page go to the state agency and to the complaint process, and both cost nothing to use.
What should I have ready before the first call with an advocate?
Start with a one-page timeline of what happened and when. Every advocate you talk to will build the same thing, so writing it yourself saves an hour of billed time.
Official Texas links for parents in McKinney.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
Print the current IEP and bring it to the first call. Every advocate on the McKinney list will ask for it.
Say the name of your school and McKinney ISD in the first message. That is enough for an advocate to know whether they can take the case.
